Dead Men Walking
by Felicity Dream
Summary: Zayne Carrick has Claire Bennett's power. Arkoh Adasca is a twisted version of Hiro. In this AR, instead of the Tarisian Masters killing their Padawans, they're pulled into a bigger conspiracy of people who could be worse than Sith. KOTOR Comics X Heroes. Indefinite Hiatus.
1. Nightmare's Beginning

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic comics, or the Heroes storyline.  
Story: A new evolved species is coming. How can the Force hold up against those with abilities like reading minds, phasing through walls, or indestructibility? And not all of them are hesitant to use their powers. KOTOR Heroes.  
Set before Commencement. AU.  
Spoilers: Most definitely.  
Pairings: Zayne/Lucien  
Warnings: All sorts…  
A/n: Based off of Heroes to celebrate the new season three, which kicks ass already. PUt out first before other fics and chapters because I'm in a Heroes mood.

**Dead Men Walking**  
_Chapter One: Nightmare's Beginning_

It should've been just another practice. Nothing should've mattered, or been changed differently. But it wasn't just another practice. It had become something else entirely.

Zayne stared at his leg, where he'd just gained a lightsaber burn from practice. Except…the burn wasn't there anymore. It was just _gone_.

He prodded the spot a couple times, but it was like nothing had happened.

Frowning, he decided he should keep this to himself.

It was only days later, after a couple more incidents like it, that Zayne began to freak out and wonder. He'd hastily grabbed a holocam and set it to record as he stood atop an abandoned building. Setting it to follow his form, it recorded as he jumped from the building and fell ten stories. He impacted into the ground.

Miraculously, Zayne could feel his body mend back to normal and it was only minutes later that he was whole again. A broken body healed in a matter of minutes…

He had been curious and more than a little panicked about what was happening to him. He was terrified and morbidly fascinated, enough to see if a fall from a ten feet building would do anything to his body. Now, he'd seen the results and strangely enough, he was calmer about the whole thing.

It didn't stop him from wanting to see if his ability had any limits.

Whenever he could sneak away from the others, Zayne would attempt numerous ways of trying his ability, and wondering when it would finally be too much for his body to take. He guessed it sort of gave him a sick thrill, but then again he could be in a prolonged state of shock.

Horrifically, Shad had found out on Zayne's tenth attempt.

Once again, he'd set a holocam to record as he climbed to the top of a metal structure that was eighty feet high. When he was ready, Zayne jumped and landed with a loud, hollow thud on the ground. Grimacing slightly, his body mended and he sighed into the holocam.

"My name's Zayne Carrick and that was my tenth attempt."

"What…the kriff was that, Zayne?!" Shad's unwanted voice yelled incredulously, and Zayne whirled around to stare at a wide-eyed Shad.

'_Oh shit,'_ was his only thought.

* * *

"So, you're like indestructible or something?" Shad asked him in shock.

"Yeah, something like that. I'm not sure. I don't know my limits. It's why I'm filming myself. And 'cause I'm still sort of in shock still," Zayne muttered.

Shad whistled, "Now that is one useful trick to know. Anyways, Master Lucien wanted me to find you. We have some kind of meeting or whatever."

"Great," Zayne groaned.

They began walking the long way back, coincidentally catching sight of a building on fire.

"Shad, film this, okay?" Zayne said, running without letting Shad answer.

The blond Jedi in training winced and held the holocam, watching Zayne enter the building. Inside, Zayne found a gray-bluish skinned man pinned down. Grabbing him, Zayne hauled him out, immediately running into a similarly skinned woman who called out to who he assumed was the man in his arms.

"Perero!"

She took him from Zayne's arms, noting quickly that 'Perero' was badly burned, while Zayne seemed to be completely unharmed. Before she could question him, Zayne ran away.

Catching up with Shad, they both began running back to the Tower.

"That…was the coolest shit, Zayne."

Zayne grinned, but inside he was feeling a little sick.

They'd reached the Tower in record time, though by the faces of their Masters and fellow Padawans, they were quite late.

"Sorry, sorry! There was a bunch of things going on! Like a building on fire that Zayne ran into –!"

Zayne elbowed Shad sharply in alarm, shutting him up. But the damage was already done.

"Why would you run into a burning building, Zayne?" Lucien stared at him critically.

"There was someone inside. I couldn't let them stay in the building," Zayne winced slightly.

"I see. Very well. _Try_ to be more careful next time, at least," Lucien told him dryly.

Zayne shrugged and they all proceeded to start their meeting.

"The Knighting Ceremony must be held off. We are due in Coruscant in two days time, so quickly pack your things. We leave tonight," they were informed.

Shad started the round of protest, "But that's not fair! We've been waiting forever for this!"

"Shad's right! What's going on?" Kamlin followed.

The other two repeated similar sentiments, while Zayne kept quiet. It wasn't that big a deal to him, he wasn't going to be knighted anyway. He had more pressing thoughts on his mind, like if he was ever going to have a normal life or if his new ability was going to ruin his chances of normality.

"We need to be seen by one of the Jedi there. It is very important so behave," Q'Anilia admonished them.

Raana narrowed her eyes at Zayne, who remained quiet of the group.

The Padawans all left to pack, three fourths of them grumbling, and left the Masters to talk between themselves.

"That went as well as I expected," Feln rolled his eyes.

"It can't be helped. My mother insisted herself. They want to evaluate the Padawans before any action can be taken," Lucien scowled.

"Zayne was quiet," Raana said suddenly.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Xamar looked at her.

"He was quiet. He didn't protest. He even looked like he was barely listening."

"That is my Padawan, as usual. He never fully listens to us," Lucien said, irritated.

"No, something else is going on. He was…he seemed preoccupied with something. Like something was bothering him," Raana said, frustrated.

"What do you mean?" Lucien furrowed his eyebrows together.

"I-I don't know what I mean!"

Hesitantly, Q'Anilia interrupted. "I saw of vision of Zayne, Lucien…"

He tensed, "Relating to the vision on the Rogue Moon?"

She shook her head. "No…I saw Zayne. His body was broken. But then it started to mend itself! It was like he was never hurt."

"That doesn't make a lot of sense, Q'Anilia," Feln said quietly.

"I know it doesn't. But it is what I saw."

"We'll keep it in mind. For now, let us focus on the meeting with my mother."

* * *

"Perero, did you see? That boy who saved you…could he be one of the ones you've been looking for? Someone evolved? He came out of that building completely unharmed…" the bluish skinned woman said from before.

"I'm not sure, Jarael. We need to talk to him, and see for ourselves the truth."

"I understand. Shall I just focus on phasing?" Jarael asked.

Perero nodded, "For now, try going through the walls of this ship. I know you can go through regular walls from buildings, but it would be good to know if you can do so in space."

"Alright then. Perero…I think that boy is a Jedi. I saw a glimpse of one of those lightsaber things on his hip."

"I will hack into their database to see. Perhaps we may find out yet."

Elsewhere…

"Revan, we've just beaten back a faction of Mandalorians," a red armored Jedi told a hooded man.

"Good job, Alek," Revan murmured.

Alek hesitated but nodded, turning to leave.

"There is something bothering you."

Alek stopped. He anxiously asked the Revanchist, "Do you think people can fly? I mean, without ships. Just…jump into the air and fly."

"A lovely fantasy, Alek. Maybe there can be truth to it, and maybe not. Perhaps we'll see in time," Revan said cryptically.

Not understanding, but not wanting to pursue the subject any longer, Alek left.

* * *

"Lord Adasca, you seem distracted…"

The Arkaanian waved his assistant off. "It's nothing, Eejee. How are we on the Exorgoths?"

"We're making very good progress. Sir…are you alright?"

Arkoh glared at him. "I said I'm fine. Actually, I'm busy at the moment. Return later."

Eejee reluctantly left and Arkoh went back to staring at the time. Fixated, he closed his eyes and concentrated. Opening them, he saw that time had rewound five minutes earlier.

Grinning in triumph, he wondered at all the uses he could have with this ability. Next, he'll be teleporting all over the galaxy.

"Lord Adasca, there's a problem!"

He twitched. Well, there was always time later to mess with his newfound power.

Very similarly, Carth Onasi was beginning to experience his own manifestation of power.

'_Kriffing piece of bantha spit! We need to get those Mandolorians in that sector. We shouldn't be sitting here idle!'_

Carth snapped his heads towards his senior officer, whom he'd just sworn had just said something. Only, the man was gritting his teeth and just glaring. Admiral Saul Karath was busy glaring down a storm and hadn't noticed Carth at all.

"Sir, did you just say something?" he asked cautiously.

Saul scowled at him, "No! I didn't! Get back to work, Onasi, before I send you to the brig!"

Eyes flying into his hairline, Carth decided the Admiral was in a very bad mood.

But the more Carth walked to the station, the more whispering he began to hear. And these whispers weren't normal. People were talking, but they weren't saying the same things as what he was hearing.

"Move this over, and then set the new coordinates," someone said.

'_Idiot better not mess it up or it's on my head.'_

Same person, same voice, but the person hadn't said that last part…

Carth was freaking out.

* * *

"They are coming," the blonde lady said as she stared into the skies.

"Of course, Lady Krynda. Lucien had just sent a transmission. They should be here by the morning," a disfigured man replied.

Krynda closed her eyes. "No, Haazen. _They_ are coming. The evolved ones."

Haazen paused, confused and a little bit unsure. "I don't understand, milady."

"They who are beyond the Force. Beyond us. A greater threat than the Sith will plague us all before the Second Coming," she told him cryptically.

Haazen felt himself grow cold. "A threat greater than the Sith?"

"Beware evolution," she whispered.

Started 9/25/08 –Completed 10/6/08

Who's Who:

Zayne Carrick: Claire Bennet: Rapid Cell Regeneration  
Shad Jelavan: Zach: Zayne's Friend  
Jarael: D.L. Hawkins: Phasing  
Camper: Mohinder Suresh: Researcher  
Revan: ??: ??  
Alek: ??: ??  
Arkoh Adasca: Hiro Nakamura: Space-Time Manipulation  
Eejee Vamm: Ando Masahashi: Arkoh's 'Sidekick'  
Carth Onasi: Matt Parkman: Telepathy  
Krynda Draay: ??: ??  
Haazen: ??: ??


	2. Crafting a Universe

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic comics, or the Heroes storyline.  
Story: A new evolved species is coming. How can the Force hold up against those with abilities like reading minds, phasing through walls, or indestructibility? And not all of them are hesitant to use their powers. KOTOR Heroes.  
Set before Commencement. AU.  
Spoilers: Most definitely.  
Pairings: Zayne/Lucien  
Warnings: All sorts…  
A/n: Haha, I couldn't resist that one line. I just…couldn't. I think I was looking forward to it all this time. And the names of the abilities are according to Heroes Wiki, though I'm sure I've seen different definitions of certain abilities…

**Dead Men Walking**  
_Chapter Two: Crafting a Universe_

"Master Atris, are you alright?" Master Vrook Lamar looked at the female Council member.

She grimaced, "Yes. I'm fine. There's just a lot on my mind."

"If you say so. The meeting will commence in a minute. I'll see you there."

"Alright. I'll be there."

She glanced back at her reflection in the gleaming walls of the Jedi Temple, her reflection smirking with a knowing look. Shivering, she turned on her heel and walked to the Council Chambers, aware that something was wrong with her and that she might not be alright in the head.

Her reflection stayed in the same spot, staring after her with a malevolent smirk.

Atris hid her nervousness as she entered the Chambers; reluctantly taking her seat as the others began did so also. The meeting began, but she didn't bother to actively participate, choosing to stay quiet and observe. She was still feeling unsettled.

Feeling someone move close to her and a hand moving closer, her own hand shot out and grabbed it, holding it in a vice grip. Seeing only Master Vandar Tokare, she winced and let go, horrified at what she'd done.

"Are you alright? You have not been yourself lately, Master Atris."

She took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, Master Vandar. I'm okay. Just a little jumpy."

Vandar nodded, though he continued to eye her in worry.

She ducked her head, catching sight of her reflection on the floor.

It was smirking at her again.

* * *

The Taris group finally set down on Coruscant, the next morning after they'd left Taris.

"We're early. We have time to go around, if any of you want," Q'Anilia informed the younger half of the group.

"I'm hungry. Let's go eat," Shad grumbled.

"Hear, hear," Kamlin agreed.

Zayne was still in a mood, so he didn't join the others in their proclamations for food. Raana noted it again, but this time she wasn't alone. The others were watching closely as well.

While the Padawans were oblivious, the Masters were tensing in anticipation.

They'd found a place to eat and had eaten their food slowly, knowing they weren't even supposed to meet with whoever until the next day, and relaxed for a bit.

Zayne was still sulking, and by then the other Padawans had noticed. Shad's grin faltered, before with a renewed energy, he began talking about nonsensical things to draw the attention off of Zayne.

"We should meet her now, even though we're early. The sooner we're done here, the sooner we can get back," Lucien said, casually observing his Padawan act out of sorts.

It wasn't long until they reached the Draay Estate, and they were quickly welcomed in.

"My son," Krynda greeted Lucien, and then nodded at the rest of the Masters. Her gaze passed by each Padawan, until she reached Zayne. She fixated on him, giving him the most attention out of the others.

"Mother?"

Krynda slowly moved her head to look at Lucien, reluctantly drawing her attention away from Zayne.

"Haazen, take the children and bring them to their quarters. They must be exhausted," she ordered as she looked at Lucien, though she wanted to go back to staring at her true interest.

When the Padawans had left, she addressed the Taris Masters.

"It will be awhile before we can fully evaluate each of your Padawans, but we cannot afford to be rash. Do not make a move, do you understand?"

They nodded, confused and worried, but they didn't speak out against her.

"Mother, there's something wrong with my Padawan. Could…could he be the one?"

She almost barked out a laugh harshly, but instead directed her stare to the side, a faraway expression on her face.

"Don't be ridiculous. Zayne is a fine boy," she said distantly.

'_Save the Jedi, save the world.'_

"Save the Jedi, save the world," the Revanchist murmured at the same time, staring off into space. It was a good thing no one saw him, because at the moment Revan was floating a feet from the ground, relaxing in a lotus position.

How long ago did future Arkoh Adasca told him that to save the world, he had to save the Jedi? But there were many Jedi and he couldn't pick just one and decide that meant he had saved the world.

He wished he could tell Alek about it, like he'd told his friend about everything else. But Alek could fly, and while it was good and all that Revan had mimicked it, he didn't want to risk his friend when Alek didn't even know how to control his power just yet.

"R-Revan?"

But it seemed too late a thought.

"Alek," he acknowledged, turning around in the air to see his friend gaping at him.

"S-so you can fly?" Alek asked confused, though he heard the disappointment in his voice.

Revan nodded, "You can as well. You just need to think and be confident about it. I-I'm a little different, Alek. I can mimic abilities. I'm flying because of you."

Alek grinned and jumped into the air, only to fall back down and fall flat on his face.

Revan coughed, "Perhaps we need to work on that a little more…"

* * *

Marn Hierogryph, more commonly known as Gryph, was busy scrounging around the Undercity of Taris. He was bored because his usual form of entertainment had bailed out on him, choosing to adventure off to Coruscant.

Which isn't fair, because Zayne Carrick was supposed to be busy chasing after him and not gallivanting off on adventures that didn't include him.

"Stupid intern, not having the decency to invite me along. What am I supposed to do? Stay here like dead weight?" he grumbled to himself, finally reaching his humble abode.

Suddenly, he stiffened up. It was an hour later when he realized what had happened.

"Dammit! Now this stupid thing has me putting graffiti in my crib!" Gryph yelled when he saw the picture he'd painted of on the floor in the middle of his living room.

Then he took a very good look at it.

It was a picture of Coruscant blowing up.

Cursing, he packed hurriedly and fled his home, heading to two people he knew could help.

"Yo, Jarael! Camper! Do I have news for you two!"

* * *

Zayne flexed his fingers, staring at them in wonder. He'd just punched a hole through his wall, though he quickly covered it up, and he'd watched as the bones in his hands righted themselves and the cuts healed. Grimacing, he cleaned up the blood and tried to push the thoughts of his new power away from him. He was thinking too much about it these days.

"Padawan? We're needed in the dining hall. It's dinner time," Lucien's voice sounded from the other side of his door.

Dragging his gaze away from his hand, he got up and met his Master at the door.

"I'm ready," Zayne muttered, not looking at Lucien, and feeling oddly ashamed of himself. Or really, _disgusted_ at himself.

"Are you okay, Zayne? You seem bothered by something."

Zayne flinched. "It's nothing. Just nerves."

Lucien didn't say anything aloud, but he thought that was a load of crap. Especially after seeing how his mother acted towards Zayne earlier.

They entered the hall, the last of everyone, and sat down next to each other in the last two available seats. They ate in awkward silence until Krynda broke it.

"Zayne, how is your hand?" she asked suddenly.

Zayne's head snapped up from staring down at his plate and he stared at her in surprise. He forgot to answer, choosing to gape at her.

"Is it still broken?" she asked, looking up as well and meeting his gaze.

"Mother, my Padawan hasn't broken his hand recently. It's just fine," Lucien uncertainly interrupted.

Krynda didn't bother to respond to her son, focusing intensely on Zayne.

"It's just fine," Zayne choked out disbelievingly, automatically hiding his hand under the table, and staring at her.

"Fascinating. I'll need to have that hole in your room fixed though."

She went back to her food, though the others continued to stare at Zayne, having not followed the conversation and was very much confused.

"I wonder, though, what would happen if you cut off a limb. Would it grow back?" She continued, delicately putting a piece of meat into her mouth.

Zayne stumbled out of his chair, staring at her in horror.

"H-how do you know?!"

She looked up again and nodded, "I know because I am like you. _I can see_."

Zayne's mouth worked to say something, but he kept it closed after finding nothing he could say.

"Come, child. I have something to say to you," Krynda stood up and Zayne reluctantly followed her.

They left behind the others to gawk at them, not having a single clue what the two were talking about.

"Zayne, you have the ability to self regenerate any part of your body, causing you to heal in mere moments. Am I correct?" she asked, leading him down a dimly lit hallway.

"Yes. I think. I mean, I suppose so. I can fall several feet down a building and still recover from it unscathed. I walked into a burning building just yesterday, and I came back out without any injuries. Sometimes, it doesn't heal if something is in the way. Like if the bones are too bent out of the way, I have to shove them in the correct position and then it'll heal. Or if something was stopping it, like some object was in my body. I'd have to remove it first before I can heal," Zayne dazedly explained.

"That is very useful, Zayne. Did you understand what I said I can do?"

Zayne hesitantly nodded. "You said you can see. Do you mean like the future? Like the Jedi Consulars?"

Krynda smiled briefly. "Almost. Somewhat better and yet somewhat not. Jedi Consulars can see the future, albeit briefly. They can also particularly predict things in the short future accurately. It is long term where they fail to be very conclusive.

"When I dream, Zayne, I can see the future. It is always something important to the events that play out. Particularly the long term future, I can see what happens and even a bit of what leads to that important event. It is a clearer vision of the future than what the Jedi Consulars can do.

"But a clearer vision means the burden of acting and not acting. You see, Zayne, with my ability I can see the future. And with that knowledge, I know that there are consequences to the choices I make in how I respond to the visions. I can act and then potentially change the future to something even worse. Or I can leave it be and let the future unfold as it was meant to be, choosing a lesser evil. Jedi Consulars don't have that burden, naïve and overconfident in their abilities. It is a shame, and I had once very thought they could be trained to see as I have.

"But they aren't able to even see the bigger picture as I had hoped. To truly see the future and not images to interpret, and the only things accurately predicted are little things that mean nothing."

She stopped in front of a door, quickly punching in numbers to allow them entry.

"But you, Zayne, I can teach to effectively use the Force to see the picture and understand this burden. It is not the same as my power, but you will be utilizing your sight better than the others. And your rapid regeneration can also be utilized…in a more _efficient manner_."

The door slid opened and Zayne was surprised to see his father on the other side, smirking at him.

"Welcome, son. To the Company."

Started 10/6/08 –Completed 10/6/08

Who's Who:

Master Atris: Nikki/Jessica Sanders: Enhanced Strength  
Revan: Peter Petrelli: Empathic Mimicry  
Alek S.: Nathan Petrelli: Flight  
Marn Hierogryph: Isaac Mendez: Precognition  
Krynda Draay: Angela Petrelli: Precognitive Dreaming/Company Founder  
Arvan Carrick: Noah Bennet: Company Employee


	3. The Puppet Theatre

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic comics, or the Heroes storyline.  
Story: A new evolved species is coming. How can the Force hold up against those with abilities like reading minds, phasing through walls, or indestructibility? And not all of them are hesitant to use their powers. KOTOR Heroes.  
Set before Commencement. AU.  
Spoilers: Most definitely.  
Pairings: Zayne/Lucien  
Warnings: All sorts…  
A/n: A lot of information here was taken mostly from Wookiepedia, and I don't quite remember if I used Heroes wiki for this chapter…Also, since no one really seems interested by the story, I may cut back on this and focus on others. That means this might be the last update for awhile…

**Dead Men Walking  
**_Chapter Three: The Puppet Theatre _

Revan watched as Alek struggled to stay in the air for more than two minutes. As was usual for the past hour, Alek fell from the air at the two minute mark. It was a good idea that Alek was only hovering a bit, to get used to it. Otherwise, there would be broken bones that would make anyone wince.

"I think it's time for a break, Alek. We could do some more in a bit, but I think you should rest and build up your confidence. You'll get it soon. It takes time for this kind of thing. It's not everyday people can fly, you know? It's unsettling and unnerving. That's part of it, the mentality of knowing the feat is impossible and yet knowing at the same time it's not."

They moved over to sit near the fire they made, Alek chugging down some water.

"How come you can do it so easily, Revan?" Alek sighed.

Revan scowled to himself. "I'm not sure. It might be because I don't have the ability naturally. I'm absorbing your power and so duplicating it to the level it was meant to be used at. You were born with it so you have to learn how to use it. Besides, I'm having problems using flight at times. I used to have to be around you for awhile to manifest flight, but I've been learning to recall it without your presence being around. Right now, I'm learning to keep doing that. Sometimes it's easy and sometimes I falter and mess up."

Alek swallowed down the rest of the water. "Huh. Well, we'll work it out together."

Revan smiled at his long-time friend. "Of course. Together."

* * *

"So the Covenant is a cover for the Company, and both are hidden away from the Jedi Order," Zayne tried to wrap his mind around the fact that there were two secret factions hidden from the Jedi Council's eyes.

"And the Covenant doesn't know about the Company. We'd like to keep it that way, Zayne," his father smiled warmly at his son.

"Well, there's no one I'd exactly tell about this. I mean, Shad knows what I can do, but he's not with the Covenant and I know better than to tell him secrets that aren't mine. I _can_ still talk about my power with Shad, right?"

"Of course you can. We wouldn't deny you someone you could confide in. We just don't want you to talk about it to my son or the other Masters," Krynda explained, sipping at the tea Arvan had made for them.

"Okay. I just have to organize this in my head. It's a lot, you know? Lady Krynda, you're the head and founder of the Covenant, a cabal of Jedi that works secretly to prevent the rise of the Sith, using Seers and undercover operations. But it's all just a cover for the Company, which works to prevent a bigger threat of evolved people. You're one of the co-founders for the Company. The Covenant doesn't know about the Company, who pulls all the strings of the Covenant and the Jedi Order. Is that all?"

Krynda smiled slowly, placing her cup onto the saucer.

"Don't forget Lucien's role in the Covenant, nor the other Taris Masters. They form the first WatchCircle and are all very dedicated to preventing the return of the Sith. Although, with all the dangerous hate they harbor for the Sith, perhaps a little too dedicated and rash."

Zayne glowered and muttered, "Dedicated enough to ignore me and abandon my training…"

Krynda smiled softly, and Arvan saw her discreetly dismiss himself. He left the two alone.

"Zayne, that doesn't matter now. While you are here, I will prolong the evaluation of the other Padawans, so that I may teach you what my son should have. I will also teach you to harvest your seeing abilities, using the Force. I also ask that you go with your father when I send him out on some of the more easier missions, so that you may get used to working for the Company."

"O-of course, milady. Whatever you'd ask of me," Zayne said, flustered.

"Krynda, Zayne. Just Krynda. After all, we'll be working closely for now on. And I'll trust a very loyal, important, and very _valuable _Company employee."

Zayne basked in the praise.

* * *

"This, Zayne, is Gadon Thek. His ability is mental manipulation. In other words, he can stop others from using their powers, or even affect their memories. That is Brejik, Gadon's adopted son. His power is persuasion," Arvan introduced his son to two other workers of the Company.

"Hi, I'm Zayne," Zayne nervously introduced himself.

Gadon nodded, "I've seen you around Taris. Most of the time, chasing that rodent."

Zayne grimaced, "Gryph?"

"Same difference," Brejik smirked.

Zayne grinned back, but then his father led him away again.

"Does Mom know about all this?" Zayne asked, having forgotten to ask it earlier.

Arvan looked a little uneasy. "No, she doesn't, son. And it's best she stays not knowing. It could become dangerous for her."

"Oh…I see."

"You'll see more Company workers later on, but you should be fine with just an overview," Arvan continued on, changing subjects.

"So when are you going to go on another mission?"

"End of this week. You won't be coming on this one though. I'll be taking Gadon with me. This mission is too dangerous for you to start out on. I'm sure Lady Krynda will be busy training you, though."

Remembering that, Zayne became a little more upbeat.

"I get to meet her tonight. We'll be working on lightsaber katas, so that tomorrow we can start on my sight training. We'll be switching every so often."

"Good. Work hard, alright? I'm so proud of you," Arvan ruffled Zayne's hair.

"No problem."

* * *

"So Coruscant is going to blow up."

Gryph nodded.

"You know this how?" Jarael asked sarcastically.

Gryph winced, "Um, this might sound a little crazy, but I've been painting the future."

Instead of the obvious reaction he was expecting, Jarael quieted. Then she turned to Camper.

"Looks like we've found another one."

"Another one what?" Gryph asked alarmed.

"Someone evolved," Jarael explained as she reached through the side of the couch, and ended up phasing through it. She took her hand back to her side and looked at Gryph.

"Holy crap! Did you –did you just reach through the couch?"

"Yeah. And I'm guessing you're precognitive. I'm surprised at you, though. I didn't think you would care to try to save Coruscant."

The Snivvian blanched, "I'd like to pretend I don't even have this thing. But Intern's stuck in Coruscant, and there's no way in hell I'll let him scorch."

"Intern?"

"Zayne Carrick, bumbling Jedi intern extraordinaire. Though, to be fair, I'm sure he would be better with some training."

Jarael narrowed her eyes, "Jedi? Does he have brown hair, brown eyes, and wear a lot of brown clothing? And a red scarf."

Gryph scratched his head, "Yeah, sounds like the kid. You know him?"

"We think he's like us. Evolved."

He whistled, "Now I'll be. Does that mean we're going to Coruscant?"

"Yes. We have to reach him."

* * *

"You have a yellow-bladed lightsaber, more like bright gold. I assume you used a velmorite crystal for it?" Krynda asked of her new student.

"Um, I think so. Master Lucien and the others just showed us a bunch of crystals and we just picked them. I picked the ones that sort of…called out to me," Zayne shrugged.

"Don't shrug, young one. It's unbecoming of your stature."

"Sorry, Krynda," Zayne blushed.

"You said 'ones.' You have several lightsaber crystals put together? Do you remember the other ones?"

"Well, the yellow one I think was what you called velmorite. Another was light orange and the last one was greenish-blue."

Krynda's eyes brightened just slightly. "You actually have a solari gem and an adegan gem in your lightsaber?"

Zayne faltered, "I-I don't know. We never asked for the names of the crystals."

"After tonight, I'd like to borrow your lightsaber. I will take it apart to see the exact gems you used, but I will make sure it is perfectly fine when I give it back. Is that alright?"

Zayne nodded fervently, "Of course! I trust you."

Krynda took his lightsaber into both her hands, activating it. She elegantly waved it around experimentally.

"Assuming those are the gems you have in your lightsaber, the velmorite will produce the golden blade. You see how it is fine and thin? The velmorite also shaped it that way. It makes for graceful, fluid wielding –"

She saw Zayne try to interrupt, but she continued regardless, "That I _will_ teach you how to be. Now the Solari gem is one of the oldest and most powerful lightsaber crystals of the Jedi Order. It is a light orange gem that only a Jedi who is pure in spirit and an ardent follower of the light side of the Force could use. It could not be corrupted by the dark side and its owner has to always stay pure of heart for it to function. The Solari crystal could rarely be found. Lucky you and your pure-heartedness, yes?"

Zayne flushed red, smiling shyly.

"Lastly would be the adegan crystal. They are very commonly used for lightsaber construction, though depending on which one you have. It can't be kathracite, as those don't focus energy well. It could be mephite. Tell me, Zayne, does your lightsaber cool your skin and help you keep your temper?"

Zayne nodded, mystified by everything she was saying.

"Then your adegan crystal is pontite, the rarest and most powerful type of adegan crystal. It's nearly impossible to find, and it resonates a powerful aura that would cool your skin and temper. To be lured to it means that you're definitely not hot-headed, and it will help you when you do feel yourself become truly angry. It sort of corresponds with the Solari crystal in that way, keeping you from anger and turning to the dark side."

Her son's Padawan nodded dazedly from all the information, but offered her another of his shy smiles.

"Zayne, I would like your permission to add the Kaiburr crystal to your lightsaber. The crystal can magnify the ability to heal, so your healing ability might progress more with it. It can also help empower and energize those close to it, and the Company believes your blood may be able to heal others. Together, healing someone would be quick and efficient. The crystal can also augment your connection to the Force, which would help you in the long run, right? It can also help you use Force lightning, but that isn't important right now."

"S-sure, Krynda. If you think it's a good idea, then you would know better than me. I'm not really knowledgeable about these things."

"That has to change, Zayne. I know my son hasn't taught you anything, but you need to start to learn on your own. If he won't teach you, then you must take the initiative and take control of your learning," she lightly admonished him.

"I understand, Krynda."

"Now back to the subject. You know, Jedi Sentinels typically have yellow blades, right? I think it fitting you become a Jedi Sentinel. My son is a Guardian and the other Masters are Consulars. Two extremes. We need a balance in the equation, and you can fulfill that part. You see, a Sentinel usually has adequate combat skills –though I'd rather make sure your skills are more than adequate –and somewhat of an extensive knowledge of the Force. They're very well-rounded, as opposed to specializing in something and lacking in other areas. My son specializes in combat and the others are Seers and more aptly to use the Force. You would do well to come in to support both, though I'd rather you be like a Shadow and move about quietly. Sentinels also possess exceptional non-Force skills, hence the importance of your healing. Unless, there is something you'd also like to do?"

Zayne grinned at that, "Well, I have been known to have luck come out for me, so I can always gamble!"

Krynda actually rolled her eyes and smiled back wryly, "Something not illegal or un-Jedi like. Such as in the fields of security, computers, stealth techniques, demolitions, repair or medicine."

"I've already got healing down, so I don't really need medicine. Can I do computers and stealth?" Zayne asked, feeling excitement bubble up inside.

"Very well. I also want to do a little of the others, at least. Just remember a Sentinel's approach to things. While a Guardian might bash down a locked door and a Consular simply knocks, a Sentinel would instead pick the lock. Subtlety is your key, Zayne."

That night, Krynda began instructing Zayne in lightsaber katas and to give him a feel of the lightsaber.

* * *

"Lady Krynda, what are you doing?" Haazen asked, seeing her in front of a desk full of lightsaber parts.

"Amazing. I was correct in the crystals he was using. Now, I'll just add the Kaiburr. I was thinking of putting the Mantle of the Force and the Heart of the Guardian crystals together to negate the Solari crystal's light-side effect, but I'm not sure it would be wise to darken Zayne's pure-heartedness."

"This is Lucien's Padawan's lightsaber?" Haazen asked in awe, gazing at the different crystals.

"Yes. I'm almost done…" she said, the parts were all collected neatly and ready to be put back together. "I'll be back, Haazen. Will you put it together for me? I'll inspect it later."

She left and Haazen idly picked up a piece of the hilt and glanced over the crystals.

"Solari, huh…Well, I beg to differ, my lady. I think the Mantle of the Force and the Heart of the Guardian crystals will be a nice addition to the lightsaber. If ever Zayne can be turned or see our goals as wrong, though he continues to help, his lightsaber will be useless otherwise. We can't have a useless puppet, now can we?"

Haazen smirked, already fixing the lightsaber together, with the addition of the two crystals Krynda had wanted to leave out.

Intuitive aptitude. He was always good at fixing things.

Started 10/6/08 –Complete 10/7/08

Who's Who:

Gadon Thek: The Haitian: Mental Manipulation  
Brejik: Eden McCain: Persuasion  
Haazen: ????: ????


	4. The Devil Cometh

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic comics, or the Heroes storyline.  
Story: A new evolved species is coming. How can the Force hold up against those with abilities like reading minds, phasing through walls, or indestructibility? And not all of them are hesitant to use their powers. KOTOR Heroes.  
Set before Commencement. AU.  
Spoilers: Most definitely.  
Pairings: Zayne/Lucien  
Warnings: All sorts…  
A/n: I had a hard time figuring out who I would put as Sylar until I just hesitantly picked someone, who didn't look like a likely candidate until I read the newer comic issues that came out…

**Dead Men Walking  
**_Chapter Four: The Devil Cometh_

Haazen sighed, flipping through the folder's contents. It seemed like so little and yet there was so much in it. A simple summary about there being people who were evolved, who possessed powers. And a list of names and addresses.

Well, Krynda didn't need him right now anyway. She was busy with her brat's Padawan.

Smirking to himself, Haazen left to visit a Brian Davis, who was a telekinetic. The Force was good and all to Force-lift things, but telekinesis was more powerful and easily used once mastered.

That day alone, Haazen killed Brian Davis and took his power, and then proceeded to use his new telekinetic ability to murder five more people to test it.

Meanwhile…

The Revanchist and Alek were busy regrouping for another attack. The Mandolorians were already cornering a faction of their own to their northeast, and they had to get ready to start moving in that direction.

"Hey, Revan. I think this whole flying business is surreal. I was dreaming about it one time, and that's why I asked you if you thought people could fly."

"Actually, you flew once first. You were half asleep and I caught you floating before you collapsed onto the ground. I suppose you thought it was just a dream, but as I was wide awake I knew it wasn't. It wasn't long after that that I started to fly a bit, but it took me awhile to figure out what my own ability is. I only knew after…"

"After what?" Alek prompted.

"You think flying is surreal, this was beyond surreal. I met with the future Arkoh Adasca. He can stop time and teleport wherever and whenever. We were in that battle a week ago and he told me that I had to 'Save the Jedi' to 'Save the world.' Then I figured I could do what he did, but I have a harder time using his power than yours."

Alek blinked a couple of times. "Adasca? Adascorp Adasca? _He can teleport and stop time?!_"

"Yes, Alek," Revan told him amusedly.

"Huh. Damn. Now that's cool. So, you know…we're Jedi. Does that mean every time we save ourselves, we really do save the world?" Alek snickered.

Revan rolled his eyes, "I knew you would say something like that."

"No, seriously. We have our pick of Jedi. Every one of their lives means we save the world?"

"I think it's a specific Jedi we're supposed to save. Adasca said something about them having the power of indestructibility."

"Ah okay. Well, that takes the fun out of things. We'll just go to Coruscant, you'll yell at the Council about needing to start making the war their business, and then actually we can go on and find that Jedi under that guise."

Revan nodded. "That's a good idea. We should leave after we defend the northeast outpost."

"Let's do this! Save the Jedi –"

"Save the world," Revan finished, smirking while he rolled his eyes again.

* * *

Zayne flipped through the old-fashioned book tiredly, but refused to give up. Krynda had told him to take his learning into his own hands, so he would. And that starts with learning about lightsaber crystals. He didn't like not knowing what Krynda had been talking about the night before, and he was determined to understand the things she was talking about for now on.

"What are you doing, Zayne?" his Master's voice asked him quietly.

Stiffening, he glanced up and saw Lucien watching him.

"I'm reading about lightsaber crystals," he muttered, embarrassed.

They were both quiet before Lucien walked closer and took a seat next to him.

"Why would you want to know about that?"

Zayne shrugged, wincing internally when he remembered Krynda telling him not to do that.

"I figured I wanted to understand them a bit more…"

"The others haven't bothered to learn that. You don't have to."

Zayne stayed stubborn, "I just do."

There was another awkward silence before Lucien broke it. "What specifically do you want to know?"

"Well, I want to especially know about pontite adegan crystals, the Solari crystal, the Kaiburr crystal, and velmorite."

Lucien raised an eyebrow at him, and Zayne had to shove down another urge to shrug again. Zayne was shocked when Lucien actually began explaining each crystal to him, but remembered to listen closely. He was serious about learning about everything he had to or needed to know about.

"Was that what you wanted to know?"

Zayne nodded and hid his worry as he asked about his next question. "But the Solari crystal. You said its light-side effect could be counteracted by the Heart of the Guardian and the Mantle of the Force crystals, right? Do you know who has them?"

Lucien shook his head, "No. Those are legendary crystals and no one knows what's happened to them."

"Okay. Um, can you explain the other crystals now?"

Lucien looked at him calculatingly before he began another lecture.

"There are three different types of adegan crystals…"

* * *

"This…is a little strange."

"That is a total understatement," Arkoh Adasca, the one that wasn't in the black and gray elegant version of his usual garb, spoke.

"Well, it isn't everyday you meet your future self, yes? Still, I don't have much time. What you need to do is find a Jedi from this time. You must help save him before _he _comes to take his power. His power of indestructibility," future Arkoh said seriously.

"I'm really not the type to save the world, if you know what I mean. You should know, you're me after all," present Arkoh replied with nonchalance.

The Arkoh from the future sighed and rubbed his temples. "I'd almost forgotten how much of a self-centered, egotistical man I was. Look, just do it, will you? If you don't go to Coruscant to find him, it'll blow up and you lose money and investments."

"Well, if you put it that way," present Arkoh grinned.

Future Arkoh snorted derisively, "Just remember. No Coruscant equals loss of money _and_ if you don't save it, chaos for everyone that will directly affect not just your money but yourself. Let's just say it'll all go to Hell."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it."

Both Arkoh's rolled their eyes at each other before the one from the future teleported back.

"Eejee, we're going to Coruscant."

Eejee came bumbling into the room, "Yes, sir. Whatever you want, sir. I'll just get your transport ship ready."

"Nonsense. We'll travel in power," Arkoh grinned and grabbed a hold of Eejee, immediately teleporting them to the planet.

* * *

"Oh, not again!"

"What the hell did you do to the Last Resort?!"

Gryph hid behind Camper as Jarael screeched at him, pointing at one of the walls inside the ship, painted over with a picture Gryph had just created.

"I think that's our Jedi friend," Camper pointed out, observing the painting.

"Oh crap! That _is _Zayne!"

Jarael blinked at it, "Is his head being _sawed_ off by some big, menacing dark figure?"

The three of them were quiet until…

"_Gross_."

The three of them shivered and backed away from the wall.

"Now we definitely have to find him," Gryph winced.

"It might be linked to the explosion that's supposed to happen on Coruscant," Camper pointed out.

"Well, it can all be figured out once we find him," Jarael nervously kept moving away from the painting and towards the ship's control room.

"Man, I sure hope we can get to him," Gryph muttered.

"So do I," Camper said solemnly.

* * *

This was just great. He and Admiral Karath were put on a forced vacation. Well, more like Saul was put on a forced vacation and Carth was forced to babysit the Admiral. He admired the guy, but _sometimes_…

So now they were on Coruscant, and put on the so called "Sylar" case.

The Sylar case was very recent, with several murders alike. They were saying that six people were killed and all similarly had their heads cut open. The first one, by the name of Brian Davis, died of blunt force first. The others were mysteriously killed without any sign other than that their heads were cut open.

'_I should be back up in space, getting rid of those stupid Mandies…'_

"Would you shut up?" Carth snapped, glaring at his superior officer.

"I didn't say anything, Onasi," Saul looked at him in surprise.

Carth took a few moments to calm himself down, taking deep breaths to help.

"Sorry, sir. I'm…not feeling well," he finished lamely.

"Right. _Okay_."

Carth sighed and started massaging his head.

* * *

"Alright, Zayne. Before we start on learning to see the Force, I want you to review what we learned yesterday," Krynda told Zayne, sitting in a chair watching him.

"Okay."

His lightsaber felt warm and alive in his hands. Krynda had given it back to him from the start of their second session, and it wasn't just like it was before. It seemed better, livelier. Zayne had always felt connected with his lightsaber, but now the connection felt even stronger and tangible.

He began to repeat the katas he learned last night, slowly at first and then faster. Zayne grinned at her when he was finished and was rewarded with a soft smile.

"Come here, Zayne," she motioned for him to come closer.

He did, but he didn't notice a small puddle in the way, causing him to fall and awkwardly land on his leg, breaking it.

"Zayne, are you alright?" Krynda worried, hurrying over to him, muttering about the carelessness of others.

"What in the world is that puddle doing there?" she muttered, kneeling by his side and carefully moving him.

He sat on the ground and with her help, set his leg back.

"It's already healed," she said in awe.

"Yeah, all healed. You know…regenerative power and all," Zayne grinned awkwardly.

"Yes, it's very fascinating." She blushed and shook her head. "Come, Zayne. Sit by my side over there. I want you to recite your new goals for me before we start."

Zayne and Krynda headed over to her chair, and he comfortably sat himself on the floor next to her.

Unknown to them, Haazen had seen the entire thing.

"Interesting," he murmured to himself. "Regenerative power. That could be useful. Very useful."

Started 10/7/08 –Completed 10/8/08

Who's Who:

Haazen: Sylar: Intuitive Aptitude  
Saul Karath: Audrey Hanson: Investigator


	5. The First Circle

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic comics, or the Heroes storyline.  
Story: A new evolved species is coming. How can the Force hold up against those with abilities like reading minds, phasing through walls, or indestructibility? And not all of them are hesitant to use their powers. KOTOR Heroes.  
Set before Commencement. AU.  
Spoilers: Most definitely.  
Pairings: Zayne/Lucien  
Warnings: All sorts…

**Dead Men Walking  
**_Chapter Five: The First Circle_

"Zayne, come here."

Zayne almost asked why, but then he realized who had said it. Nervously heading over to his Master, he waited for further instructions.

"We're going to be here for awhile, it seems, so I want to make sure you're at least trying to keep up with the others."

Zayne sighed inwardly at the obvious jibe at him, but didn't say anything, following his Master to the Draay Estate's sparring room.

It was okay anyway. Krynda said he was doing fine and it wouldn't be long until he caught up.

He had the katas down, but the seeing thing wasn't something he could learn in one session. That night they were going to focus on using the lightsaber gracefully, while at the same time use the Force to help. They were also going to find a lightsaber style for Zayne, so that he had a form he could use. The next night, they would do a little bit of seeing, but they were going to focus more on stealth.

"Zayne, are you even listening?"

The brunet winced and blushed, shaking his head apologetically. "Sorry, Master Lucien."

Lucien just sighed.

"Start the kata we were learning last week," he ordered.

Zayne grinned to himself. This he could do. But when he finished, Lucien was staring at him in surprise.

"I didn't know you'd already learned it well enough," the older man commented.

Zayne shrugged, and then remembered he wasn't supposed to. He shrugged in his mind.

"I…had help," he reluctantly said, knowing Krynda told him Lucien shouldn't know about their training sessions.

"I see," Lucien murmured. "Do every kata you're supposed to know."

Shrugging mentally again, Zayne began. Afterwards, his Master continued to stare at him. Uncomfortable at the attention, Zayne began to fidget under his Master's stare.

"I suppose you can…go."

Zayne nodded sharply and turned to leave.

"Wait."

Confused, Zayne turned around to face his Master. Lucien looked self-conscious for once, so Zayne said nothing and waited for him to be ready to say whatever it was he wanted to say.

"Are you…I mean…do you want to eat out? Just…us?" Lucien asked tensely.

Now it was Zayne's turn to be surprised. But he quickly schooled his expression, a thing he grimaced at because it was something Lucien did, and nodded.

"Sure."

Zayne followed Lucien and caught up, the both of them walking side by side out of the Draay Estate to the parked speeder. Lucien took the driver seat and Zayne resisted the urge to call out shotgun. He did hesitate for a moment before taking that seat, though.

Lucien noticed, but didn't comment.

"Where do you want to eat?" Lucien asked out of nowhere.

He was actually flying a bit fast, something Zayne hadn't expected but didn't comment on.

"I don't know. Anywhere's fine, I guess…"

Lucien began flying in a lot of turns and suddenly, they were in front of a darkly, hidden storefront.

"Where are we?" Zayne asked as they got out of the speeder, the brunet still following his Master.

"I used to go here when I was younger. I didn't much fancy staying at home then," Lucien revealed.

"Oh…why wouldn't you like staying at home? Your mom seems pretty cool."

Lucien stopped Zayne just before they went in. "Talked to my mother lately? You shouldn't think that way. My mother isn't all that she seems."

Zayne tensed. "No, I haven't really talked to her. But what I have seen seems like she's a good person."

Lucien eyed him. "She hides things from her son. What makes you so sure she doesn't hide things from you?"

"I told you! I don't talk to her so she wouldn't have to hide anything from me!" Zayne snapped, pulling away from Lucien and turning to go back to the speeder. Lucien stopped him.

"I'm sorry. I'm not pushing anything. I'm just warning you about her. The others desperately follow her like blind sheep, and I love her. But we all feel something is going on and something's not being said. I know how my mother can be, good intentions or not."

Zayne pursed his lips, agitatedly working his mouth.

"I think your mother should be trusted," and Zayne closed himself off.

Lucien sighed. "Alright, Zayne. We'll talk about this some other time. I didn't bring you here to talk about that."

"Why _did_ you bring me here?" Zayne grumbled, letting Lucien guide him inside the small building.

Inside was totally different than what Zayne had been expecting after seeing the outside. It was an enclosed garden, with several trees spaced out. Each tree had a low table underneath it, some already filled with people.

A waitress approached them. "How may I help you?"

"Table for two," Lucien told her.

She led them to a cherry blossom tree and both of them sat themselves comfortably on the cushions on opposite sides of the table. Lucien ordered tea for them to drink and she left after giving them menus.

"You used to come here when you were younger? Some childhood you must have had," Zayne said in disbelief, eyes wandering over the area.

"The place is quiet and peaceful. I was…rowdy when I was younger. It was a nice break."

Zayne stared at him when Lucien had said he had been rowdy. "I'm not going to comment," he muttered.

"What are you getting?" Lucien said, ignoring the statement.

Zayne flipped through the menu, looking at the contents. "You're paying, right?"

His Master actually rolled his eyes. "Yes."

"I'm getting beef sashimi, gyoza, the miso onion soup, and hibachi shrimp," Zayne said promptly.

"…Okay."

"Okay?" Zayne raised his eyebrows.

"Okay."

Zayne shrugged, thinking he'd eventually get used to not doing that.

"I'm surprised at your order. I wasn't sure you knew any of the food."

"I've had time to myself in Taris," Zayne said wryly, gazing at a couple on the other side of garden, a huge space of grass in between their table and the couple's.

Lucien winced, but Zayne didn't notice.

"What do you usually like to eat?" Lucien asked, starting the conversation to what he'd been aiming for.

"Anything's fine. I don't have any preferences. I do miss the food from Phaeda though."

"Home cooked?"

Zayne nodded. "Well, mostly. They have good fine cuisine on the planet too, just Phaeda-style cooking."

"Sounds interesting. Do you miss your home planet a lot?"

Zayne hesitated.

"I'm not going to lecture you about Jedi and attachments. I just want to know."

"Yeah," Zayne said softly. "I miss it a lot. And my mom and dad. I even miss my sisters."

"I miss my father," Lucien told him suddenly. Shocked, Zayne didn't respond. "He died in the Great Sith War, in an explosion. My mother's been inconsolable ever since. She's never gotten over it."

"I-I'm sorry," Zayne stuttered.

"Don't be. I don't remember him. But my mother grew colder afterwards. I didn't see her much in my childhood."

Not knowing what to say, Zayne didn't respond again. The conversation ended stiltedly. Except Lucien didn't seem to be done yet.

"Do you hate me, Zayne?"

Zayne snapped his head up, "No! Of course not!"

But a small part of him was saying, _'Yes.'_

"I don't see why you wouldn't be. I've never been particularly nice to you. In fact, I've practically ignored you ever since we've met."

"I…There's…a part of me that says 'No, I don't hate you.' And then there's another part that says I do," he confessed quietly.

Zayne looked back down, not willing to stare at his Master. He was sure Lucien was staring at him, could feel the blond's intense stare.

Zayne almost jerked away when Lucien's hand crept over and touched his gently.

"I'm sorry."

He inhaled sharply, but again, couldn't find it in himself to respond.

* * *

"Haazen is a failed Padawan," Lucien started out. He saw Zayne flinched. "I didn't mean it like that. What I'm trying to say is that my mother, my father, and Haazen were all trained by my mother's father. Considering the war that was upon them and that my grandfather had several students at a time, Haazen couldn't continue his training.

"You're my only student and there is no need for Jedi to enter the war. I could continue your training, even after the others are knighted."

Zayne drew to a stop, staring at him. Lucien stopped as well, waiting for his Padawan to say anything.

"I'd-I'd like that," Zayne muttered, looking down.

"Zayne! There you are! It's been ages since I've seen you!" Shad interrupted them, running closer.

"Hey, Shad. What's wrong?" Zayne greeted his friend.

"Nothing, nothing. Come on, I want to hang out with you. You're always off somewhere, so I decided I have to kidnap you for now. See ya, Master Lucien!" Shad began dragging Zayne away, with Zayne awkwardly turning and waving hazardously goodbye to his Master.

Lucien sighed to himself, running a hand through his hair. The other Masters saw him and began walking towards him.

"So Zayne, where have you been? I never see you around here," Shad poked Zayne's side.

He rolled his eyes, "Just around. The place is pretty big so I've been exploring."

"It's weird, isn't it? That the person that we were supposed to meet is Master Lucien's mother. I wonder what she wants…"

Zayne gave a half-shrug and paused, deciding it was okay as long as it wasn't around Krynda.

"There you are," a gravelly voice made them stop.

They turned around and saw someone hidden with a cloak and in the darkness. A flick of the person's hand and Shad went flying into the wall.

"Shad!"

Zayne was about to run to his friend, when he too was pushed into the wall by some unseen force. He was lifted higher up the wall, feeling something holding him up.

All of a sudden there was pain. A lot of pain. And Zayne began screaming.

Krynda heard the scream and recognized her new student's voice. Lucien and the Taris Masters were much closer and definitely heard it. Alarmed, they all ran to where they heard the screaming.

Lucien's eyes widened, seeing a figure lifting his Padawan up onto a wall by some kind of force, because he didn't feel the Force itself, and was somehow beginning to cut Zayne's head opened.

"Hey! Get the hell away from him!" he heard Raana screech in her shock.

The figure, that sort of looked like Haazen but he didn't think the steward could do something like this, turned to look at them. He let Zayne go and ran, Zayne dropping to the ground unconscious. Lucien was tempted to run after him, but knew he had to look after Zayne first. However, his mother beat him to it, appearing from the shadows and hurrying to his Padawan.

"Go after them! I will take Zayne," his mother ordered, already hefting Zayne into her arms and walking away.

Confused and gritting his teeth, Lucien stared after her calculatingly.

"She's up to something."

* * *

Zayne groggily woke up, seeing Krynda hovering above him.

"Are you alright, Zayne?"

"Mmhm," was all he could get out.

"This is disgruntling. I do not know who that was, but I will figure it out. In the meantime, I think it would be a good idea…if you were to fake your death."

"But…why?" Zayne asked, confused.

"Someone is looking for you, perhaps even to kill you. They did not succeed this time, but they might next time. If you were dead, maybe they would give up. And it would be easier for you to move around for the Company if everyone were to think you were dead."

Zayne thought it over, but then he looked into Krynda's eyes. Biting his lip, he nodded reluctantly.

"Okay, I'll do it."

"Good, we want to do it soon, but not too soon. Tomorrow night, we'll make it look as if the mysterious intruder came again and this time succeeded. We'll use a drug to suspend your cerebral functions, and then that will put you into a death-like state. I'll come afterwards and administer the antidote."

Zayne nodded again tiredly.

"Are you too tired to continue our lessons tonight?" Krynda asked, giving him a small smile.

"No…I'll manage."

* * *

Haazen sighed dramatically to himself. That day, before attempting to get the Carrick boy, he'd managed to kill three more people.

Two of them had powers and the last one he'd mistakenly thought so.

But at least he was growing stronger.

If the others hadn't interfered, he would've gotten Carrick's regenerative powers as well. And then he would've been truly invincible. Still, there was still more people on the list to fill his hunger.

People that included the Revanchist and his second Alek.

Started 10/8/08 –Completed 10/9/08


	6. Dies Irae

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic comics, or the Heroes storyline.  
Story: A new evolved species is coming. How can the Force hold up against those with abilities like reading minds, phasing through walls, or indestructibility? And not all of them are hesitant to use their powers. KOTOR Heroes.  
Set before Commencement. AU.  
Spoilers: Most definitely.  
Pairings: Zayne/Lucien  
Warnings: All sorts…

**Dead Men Walking  
**_Chapter Six: Dies Irae_

"Damn, there are several more murders! All look like by Sylar," Carth cursed, examining the latest victim, who was completely frozen and his head was sawed open.

"This guy is sick," Saul grimaced, snapping another crime scene photo.

"Very," Carth agreed, looking sick.

"I don't get it. Why the hell would someone cut a person's head open? What do they want? Are they some kind of cannibal?" Saul prodded at a frozen limb.

Carth scoffed, "Who knows? I definitely don't. I might be insane then."

'_Oh man. I think I'm going to be sick.'_

"Bathroom's over there, sir. If you're gonna be sick, you better hurry," Carth pointed out.

Saul glanced at him weirdly. "Okay…Thanks, Onasi."

While the Admiral was gone, Carth continued looking around. Then he found something of interest. A list of people and their addresses were typed onto a piece of paper, with the first nine people crossed off.

"Sir! I've got something!"

* * *

"Zayne, I want to form a complete bond between us," Lucien found Zayne in the Estate's library again, eyes briefly drifting to Zayne's head, where his Padawan had a bandage wrapped around under his bangs and on top of his hair.

Confused, Zayne closed the book he was reading and set it down. "Why? Don't we have one already?"

"No, not really. Come here," Lucien pulled Zayne to the ground, both of them sitting cross-legged from each other. "Give me your hands and start meditating."

Not questioning, Zayne did as he was told. He felt himself enter into a meditative state that was interrupted when he felt a sort of…_mental _knock on his mind.

'_Master…Lucien?'_ This was weird.

'_Yes, it's me. And it is weird.'_

'_You can hear my thoughts?!'_

'…_Just remember to filter what you want to say to me through the bond.'_

'_And how am I supposed to do that? We haven't actually done this before! What exactly am I supposed to do?'_

'_Just feel for the bond and then it'll just come naturally.'_

'_Okay, okay…huh, I can actually feel it. I've never felt it before. Uh, wait. I didn't mean to think that.' _Talk about awkward.

'_It's okay, Zayne. It's not like we were close or anything. And I suppose it is awkward.'_

'_I was projecting again, wasn't I?'_

'_Yes. Try using your mental shields.'_

'_Mental…shields?'_

'…_Do you know what those are?'_

There was a long string of curses on Zayne's side.

Amused, Lucien mentally slapped Zayne's head.

'_Ow, that hurt! Wait…you can do that?!'_

'_Yes.'_

'_So…'_

'_Why don't we try building those shields first?'_

'_Right. You got it, boss man.'_

'_Be quiet, Zayne.'_

It was actually an hour and a half later when they came out of their trance. Zayne avoided looking at Lucien, still feeling a bit weird from the encounter.

"Our bond is a bit better than it was before, but we still need to work on it," Lucien interrupted Zayne's thoughts.

"What's our bond compared to the others?" Zayne asked, just a little curious.

"To be honest, I think now our's is the strongest."

"Are you serious? Why?"

"Well, our bond was pretty much nonexistent and the others at least formed their's half way, enough to have something tangible. They didn't bother to fully finish it, and since we just did, our's is the strongest of the group."

"Right…so, you know, I'm still a little weirded out. I'm just going to grab my book and finish it in my room, okay?" Zayne smiled weakly, moving as fast as he could without practically running away.

Lucien sighed, watching his Padawan flee with abandon, still sitting on the floor with one knee up and resting an arm against it.

* * *

"It's time, Zayne," Krynda said, as soon as he entered.

"Really? I thought we were going to do it tonight," Zayne said nervously, fingering the wrap around his head. They had to put one on for appearance, so the others wouldn't ask questions.

"An opportunity has come up to do it now. We mustn't waste it."

"Okay," he mumbled, laying himself down on the bed, and wincing when Krynda pricked his arm with a needle.

"Good night, Zayne," she murmured, and his eyes closed, drawing him into a deep sleep until there was nothing.

She swiped the skin, making sure it didn't bleed, but she needn't have bothered because it had already healed with Zayne's power just before the drug took effect. Capping it, she hid it in the folds of her robes to get rid of it later. She took a knife and began neatly forming a long cut on Zayne's forehead, from temple to temple. The drug already working, the cut didn't heal like it usually did for Zayne.

Now all she needed to do was get one of the others to find him.

She found the blond one, Q'Anilia's Padawan, sulking in a hallway nearby. This was her chance.

"You there. Have you seen my son's Padawan around?" she asked imperiously.

Shad looked startled at her presence before stumbling to talk. "N-no, ma'am. I haven't seen Zayne around since yesterday."

"Will you see if he's in his room? Tell him to meet me in my office."

He nodded quickly, waiting for her to leave before running towards Zayne's room. It was only a matter of time…

* * *

"What do you mean, _Zayne's dead_?" Lucien shouted.

Shad kept sobbing out a bunch of things, but that stood out above everything else.

"Calm down, Shad. Tell us what happened," Q'Anilia tried to calm down her Padawan.

"M-master Lucien's mother wanted me to find Zayne and ask him to meet her in her office. I went to go see him and he wasn't breathing! He was just laying there, cold, clammy and a huge cut on his forehead. Like when that intruder tried to get Zayne before?"

There was something entirely wrong with this picture. Worse, something felt off, felt like something was missing. And what had his mother wanted?

"Something's not right," Lucien muttered, turning on his heel and striding off to meet his mother. He paused and then turned again, heading this time to Zayne's room.

He barely noted the others following him, already reaching Zayne's room quickly and in moments by Zayne's side.

Zayne wasn't breathing.

Backing up a few steps from the bed, Lucien stared at what was really the dead body of his Padawan.

He and the others had been prepared to kill their Padawans on Taris, ready and willing because of a prophecy. But reality didn't measure up. Lucien felt cold as well, as if he was dead.

"Oh, all of you are already here," Krynda's voice sounded through the room.

They looked at her.

"News travels fast," she said quietly. "I will have Zayne's body brought to the morgue."

"I want an autopsy," Lucien gritted out.

"Whatever for?" she asked, looking confused.

"Because I want to know what killed him!"

Krynda shook her head, "Can't you see? The incision on his forehead is a serious wound."

"I was just with him not that long ago. That wound is fresh and wouldn't have killed him so quickly. The killer killed Zayne with something else, and was about to cut his head open but was probably interrupted by Shad."

"He wouldn't be dead in the first place if you hadn't of let the killer go yesterday," she said sharply.

Lucien sucked in a harsh breath.

"I will bring Zayne to the morgue and you may have your autopsy. But this could have been avoided, you know."

She turned to leave, but Lucien called out. "I want a sample of his blood taken and analyzed."

She tilted her head at him, but said nothing as she left the silent room behind.

* * *

"This…is creepy," Kamlin shuddered, staring at Zayne's corpse, a y-incision already made and rib bones snapped and bent out of the body.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Shad said, running off to find a bathroom.

"Oojoh?" Gharn waved a hand in front of Oojoh's eyes, who was staring at Zayne's body. There was no response, so Gharn tapped Oojoh's head. Instead of Oojoh responding, he fainted.

Gharn blinked.

"Is this totally necessary?" Kamlin winced.

"Of course. Lucien wanted to be here, so we're here to offer support," Raana rebuked her.

"Good for him and all, but I never want to see Zayne like this," Kamlin said, wanting to take her eyes away from the sight.

"I never wanted to see Zayne _dead_," Shad said as he came back, still looking a bit green.

"I think I'm scarred for life," Gharn muttered aloud. Oojoh just twitched on the ground.

"Excuse me, was this the group that wanted to know the analysis of this young man's blood?" someone interrupted them.

Lucien immediately looked over to him, leveling a glare that made the poor guy take a couple steps back.

"W-well, I apologize. We were unable to properly analyze it. There seems to be major difficulties at the laboratory. All equipment was exceptionally contaminated, and the only blood sample we received from Mr. Carrick's body was also contaminated in the process."

"Then get another sample!" Lucien snapped at him.

"Y-yes, sir. I just have to get the necessary equipment to draw blood," the man stuttered and scrambled to leave.

"Lucien, I think we should leave. You should rest," Q'Anilia said, worried.

"I don't want to rest," he said stubbornly.

"You should. You're not going to be of any help yelling at everyone, and stressed out."

Reluctantly, he sighed and followed them out, taking one last look at Zayne's body.

When they were gone, Krynda crept in. She immediately plunged a needle into Zayne's body, and in a minute, he was gasping out. His eyes bulged when he saw the y-incision and his ribs sticking out.

"W-what?"

"I apologize, Zayne. My son wanted an autopsy and I thought it was a good idea. Seeing you like this would definitely convince them you were dead. He also wanted a blood sample, but that has already been taken cared of."

"Okay. Um…this is going to be a little weird."

Even though it got her hands bloodied, she helped Zayne snap his ribs back into place and he quickly healed. The cut on his forehead had healed as soon as he woke up.

"We'll need to clean you up," she said softly, getting a cloth and wetting it.

She wiped the blood off and then handed him a lab coat.

"Come. I will show you where your new room is. Your things have already been moved."

Zayne slowly got off the table and followed her.

* * *

"Mother! Why would you cremate his body?! They weren't even able to get his blood sample!" Lucien stormed into his mother's private sanctuary.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What happened to the first blood sample? And it was his parents' wishes that he be cremated."

"The first sample wasn't viable. And you shouldn't have already told his parents!"

"And what? I shouldn't have told his parents that their only son was dead?" she pursed her lips at him.

"I should've told them. And it's too soon to tell them."

"In your opinion, of course. Chasing after shadows and trying to figure whatever it is you're trying to solve."

"He was supposed to have a traditional Jedi funeral," he glared at her.

"His parents just want his ashes as soon as possible. I felt it our responsibility to fulfill their wishes."

"You don't have the right to decide."

"Oh, but he does."

Lucien whirled around, seeing an older brown-haired man walking towards them with red eyes. He looked exhausted and like he had been crying.

"Lucien, this is Arvan Carrick. Zayne's _father_."

Lucien stiffened, watching the other man wearily measure him up.

"I want my son home."

Lucien watched the both of them warily. "Y-you're in it with her. You have to be. Something's not right!"

"Are you accusing me of killing my son?!" Arvan spat out, glaring daggers at him.

"No…I just…" Lucien deflated, thinking he was crazy for thinking there was some plot going on.

"I'm sorry. Please…I want…just let me keep Zayne's ashes for a week."

"What for, Lucien?" his mother asked with a touch of incredulity.

"_Please_…I promise to send it. I just want…I just need Zayne here for awhile longer."

"Careful, son. Jedi and attachments."

Lucien nodded tiredly.

"Very well. But don't forget," Arvan warned.

Lucien sighed and bowed, then leaving.

"He's not dead, you know," Krynda said.

"What?" Arvan whirled on her.

"I said, he's not dead. He's fine now. We just had to make everyone else think he was dead."

"_You made me think my son was dead?!_"

"It was more convincing this way," Krynda waved a hand dismissively. "He's living in the Company quarters in this building now. If you follow me, I will lead you to him."

Arvan angrily followed her, still upset.

* * *

There. He could still _feel_ it. His bond with his Padawan was still strong and active. That meant…

"Zayne's alive," he muttered.

Lucien hurriedly walked to Q'Anilia's room, his mind trying to figure what that statement meant exactly. How when he saw Zayne dead, body opened up on a table in the morgue?

"Q'Anilia, please open up!" he hammered on the door.

The door abruptly opened, revealing a bewildered Q'Anilia.

"Lucien! What in the world?"

"Q'Anilia, you remember that vision you had of Zayne? Where his body was broken, but then he healed and looked as if nothing had happened?"

"Y-yes. What does that have anything to do with anything?"

"What if that had something to do with now?"

"I don't understand what you mean."

Lucien sighed exasperatedly. "What if it means Zayne's not dead? What if your vision said that something would happen to Zayne, but then he's actually really okay?"

"But that's impossible!"

"Zayne's alive! I can still feel the Master-Padawan bond with him."

"Well, we did say we should keep that vision in mind."

"We should have."

Start 10/9/08 –Completed 10/9/08

Omake!

Gross. That was the only way they could describe the scene. Their Zayne was dead and opened up on a table, like a corpse. Which he was.

They were all freaking out and felt like puking up. But, however, they also seem to have a morbid fascination with the scene.

"This…is so wrong," Gharn gagged.

And then before their eyes, because they'd been there for so long staring in shock, the drug in Zayne's system wore off and he woke up gasping. He stared at them in shock, taking note of their traumatized faces.

"Er, hi guys," he greeted awkwardly, giving a weak wave.

The Padawans all fainted. Q'Anilia ran from the room, screaming about ghosts, while Raana gave in and threw up on the floor. Xamar and Feln all stared dumbly at him.

His Master?

Blinked and then rushed forward, crushing him in a hug and rambling about sorry's and other things he couldn't catch.

"Uh, s'okay," he muttered, patting Lucien's back. "Um, I'm getting blood all over you, you know."

Lucien moved back a little and stared down on his front and then to the cut open chest of his Padawan. He fell back in a dead faint.

Sweatdropping, he looked to the last two composed (sort of…) Tarisian Masters.

"A little help here?" Zayne gestured to his chest.

Xamar and Feln slowly crept forward and uneasily helped moved his ribs back in. Then they fainted as well, seeing Zayne heal.

"Oh, for Force sake," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

Started 6/15/09 –Completed 6/16/09


	7. Genesis

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic comics, or the Heroes storyline.  
Story: A new evolved species is coming. How can the Force hold up against those with abilities like reading minds, phasing through walls, or indestructibility? And not all of them are hesitant to use their powers. KOTOR Heroes.  
Set before Commencement. AU.  
Spoilers: Most definitely.  
Pairings: Zayne/Lucien  
Warnings: All sorts…

**Dead Men Walking  
**_Chapter Eight: Evolution_

_The same day Carth /Saul find Aurora and Arkoh, and Lucien starts to find answers…_

"We have the whole day to ourselves. That means everything you were supposed to learn last night you will start learning today. We'll do a little bit of seeing, and then start on our stealth lesson," Krynda explained to Zayne.

Zayne nodded, still feeling a bit guilty inside.

"Are you alright, Zayne?" Krynda asked, worried about the mental state of her student.

Zayne looked uncertain, but then revealed what was bothering him.

"I'm grateful to you for everything, Krynda. It's just that I feel guilty for deceiving everyone like this. And…will I have to stay gone? Stay dead forever?"

Krynda sighed, and took Zayne's hand. She led him to their sitting spot and then faced him.

"I understand what you're feeling now. But it will pass. Jedi have no attachments, Zayne. You mustn't feel attached to the others. You must remember the most important thing is the cause. Your old life is the past, something you must move on from," she said patiently.

Zayne winced, "I know. I just can't help it."

"You will learn in time, young one. Now meditate. We will start now."

* * *

"Who are they?" Zayne asked, staring at the people imprisoned in their cells.

"Criminals. Dangerous people who use their powers to harm others," Krynda explained, her eyes growing steely as she looked on at the prisoners gathered on the level five containment area.

Zayne shivered, seeing one of the people glare at him and throw a blast of fire at him. Fortunately, the clear panel separating them stopped the blast from reaching him.

"They're cruel people, Zayne. And they must be stopped," Krynda murmured.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Soon, I'll need you to catch others like these people. They need to be contained, here away from where they could hurt others."

Zayne nodded, still staring at the people in the cells. People like him…and yet not like him.

His eyes hardened.

Krynda glanced over and saw the slight change. Her mouth lifted up faintly.

"Follow me, Zayne. Our break is over. We will start on only meditation. You have worked hard enough physically and we shouldn't rush your seeing lessons. You must now work your mind."

* * *

"I don't get it," Alek concentrated, looking at the string of murders. "Why would they kill Zayne?"

"There's a copy of a list they found," Lucien said, handing him it as he continued scanning the report on the first murder of Brian Davis. The first murder was by blunt force before the sawed head. The following murders seemed like an invisible force killed them because they weren't touched at all. Jedi? It was plausible, but what Jedi would commit such crimes? And it didn't make sense for the first murder.

"Revan! We're on the list! And so is Adasca!" Alek flung the copied list away from him.

Revan picked it up and skimmed over it. "Zayne is too."

"Arkoh is here. We might be able to solve that if he were to meet us," Lucien informed them.

"Adasca is here?" Revan asked sharply, his head snapping up to meet Lucien's eyes.

"Yes, he's…staying in Zayne's old room."

"We need him here."

Lucien nodded, a bit confused, and hurried to grab the Arkaanian to drag him down. They were with the other two in minutes, Arkoh looking hassled.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"I met the future you," Revan said seriously.

"So did I," Arkoh blinked.

Revan glared and opened his mouth, but Arkoh interrupted him. "I'm being serious. I met him too. Told me to come here and save the Jedi –"

"Save the world," Alek finished cheerily.

"Will you stop that?" Revan said irritably. He turned back to Arkoh, "Your future self told me the same thing. I had to find a Jedi that had the power of indestructibility."

"Well, I ended up at a crime scene looking like the bad guy because I followed his advice. I teleported straight here and now I'm a Sylar suspect," Arkoh said disgruntled.

"Wait, hold on. What's going on?" Lucien stopped them from continuing.

The other three looked at each other before Revan began explaining about himself and Alek, and how future Arkoh had come to tell him what he had to do, and then Arkoh took over, telling his side.

"Okay. You can fly. You can basically absorb powers. And you told me already you can manipulate space and time," Lucien pointed at each one respectively.

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up," Alek grinned.

"And all of you are looking for someone who is indestructible," Lucien continued on.

All three nodded. Lucien took a deep breath.

"I have this theory that Zayne was able to fake his death, working with my mother, and he had some kind of ability to help him."

Arkoh groaned, "I can't believe that flew over my head. I should've thought of that when you told me you thought he was still alive."

"How are you sure he's alive?" Revan looked skeptical.

"Because I can still feel the Master-Padawan bond very strongly," Lucien scowled, showing just how frustrated he was over the whole thing.

"So Zayne really might be the one we're looking for," Alek said hopefully.

"Don't get your hopes up, Alek. But it is a possibility. We need to find out who Sylar is before he finds out Zayne might not be dead and come after him again," Revan sighed.

"Sylar is killing people and going to kill people who have something in common. And what do we all have in common? We have powers," Arkoh added on to the conversation.

"Which would make sense why he kept coming after Zayne," Alek said, focusing on trying to hover. He did, but it lasted less than a second and he crashed to the floor. The others stared at him.

"At least, there's proof of what you guys are saying," Lucien muttered, eying Alek on the floor.

"Look at that list again," Alek told Revan. "Wasn't there a list of powers connected to each person, along with their names and addresses? And you said that Zayne's name was on it. We'll have definite proof of Zayne then."

Revan looked again at the list and his eyes widened. "There you have it, people. Zayne Carrick, Taris Jedi Tower, Rapid Cell Regeneration. Class four evolved human."

"Unless Zayne really is dead, then we need to get to him fast," Arkoh told them all seriously.

"Because otherwise Sylar has Zayne's ability to be indestructible…or he will have it," Revan concluded.

Lucien felt a sense of hope, having definite evidence that Zayne might be alive. And that, at least, he wasn't over thinking the situation. That figure though…Sylar. He had this strange feeling it was like Haazen. But how could it be? The Draay family steward didn't seem the murderous type and was totally loyal to his mother.

Then again…what did they really know about him? His mother surely did, but even then he wasn't sure. His father knew Haazen better.

His father…

Lucien shot up, and began to run to where he knew his mother would be.

"Where are you going?" Revan shouted after him.

"I need to see my mother!"

* * *

"Mother, what do you know about Haazen?" Lucien interrupted Krynda in her office.

She turned to him, "Why would you want to know?"

"Because Haazen might be Sylar," he was starting to be sure of it now. "And Haazen might've killed father."

He could see her visibly stiffen. "I'd…always suspected. Haazen was always jealous of your father. The day your father died, Haazen said he'd seen a Sith sympathizer enter down a cave. He led your father and a group of Jedi down there, and then there was an explosion. Haazen was the only survivor, but he came out deformed and missing limbs. And yet, he had cybernetic implants that he had excused as being forcibly given to him by the Sith. He never explained how he survived the explosion or how he escaped the Sith."

Lucien clenched his hands into fists, starting to feel a burning hatred.

"Who is this Sylar, son? And why do you think Haazen has anything to do with him?"

"Sylar might be the one who killed Zayne. The first time Zayne was attacked, the figure that ran away seemed like Haazen. I didn't think much of it at first, but if Haazen really did kill father then he is likely to be the culprit. And he is also responsible for several murders of people who might have had special powers."

He could see his mother subtly tense, her mouth tightening at the corners. He knew there was something going on and that his mother was a part of it. She probably even knew where Zayne was.

"Well, we should investigate into this more. Don't worry about it, Lucien. I will assign another from the Covenant to this. Your Padawans will be evaluated sometime soon and then I will have your group do an assignment before you return to Taris."

"You mean _their_ Padawans," Lucien said bitterly. He turned his back to his mother and strode out, scowling the entire way back to where he had left the others.

"That guy back at the station. He's on here," Arkoh said as soon as Lucien came back, waving the list around in the air.

"Who?" Lucien asked him.

"Carth Onasi. The guy who gave you the papers."

"And how do you know that? We never got his name."

Arkoh huffed, "Because he just called. He said that he knew I was like him. He read my thoughts a little bit back at the station. Told me his name and I checked it on the list."

"Does he know?"

Revan shook his head, "We figured this was something that should be said face to face, so we didn't tell him over the line."

"Great! Now we can have another member for the 'Save the Jedi, Save the World' campaign!" Alek smirked.

"Perhaps I should not have said that exact phrase to you," Revan deadpanned.

Alek molded his face into one of innocence.

* * *

"That's one hell of a story," Carth whistled, looking faint. "And I don't fancy myself on the list to die."

"We know. But with your gift, we can stop Sylar from becoming even more powerful than he is now," Revan explained.

"I guess," Carth reluctantly agreed.

"Good. Now I need you to help me find out where my mother is keeping Zayne. He's the one we think has the power to be indestructible."

"If she has him hidden, isn't that a good thing?" Carth asked doubtfully.

"She faked his death and made it look like to the rest of us that Sylar killed him. She showed us a fake corpse and stopped us from getting a proper autopsy, and is probably lying to and manipulating Zayne right now. And there's no guarantee she can keep him from Sylar. I'm more comfortable making sure he's safe myself."

"It would be nice to get confirmation from someone who actually witnessed Zayne heal himself," Carth sighed.

"We have a lot of evidence pointing to it –" Revan was interrupted.

"Shad!" Lucien suddenly started.

"Who?" Alek asked confused.

"I'll be back," Lucien told them.

Lucien had headed over to Shad's room, feeling like he was closer to unraveling the truth the more information he was getting.

"Shad, I need you to answer something," he knocked frantically.

The blond Padawan opened the door, looking perplexed at his presence, but Lucien didn't have time to coddle him.

"Did you ever see Zayne heal himself?" Lucien asked quickly, and by the paling of Shad's face he was onto something.

"I can show you something, but it's… it _was_ in Zayne's room," Shad corrected himself.

"I'll meet you there. I have to bring some people with me."

Mere minutes passed, and Lucien brought the others to Zayne's old room, and Arkoh's current one. Shad was already there. Arkoh let them in and Shad immediately went to the bed. Reaching underneath it, he grabbed a familiar holocam.

"Not the most original hiding place, but Zayne wanted it close by," Shad said fondly, remorse coloring his words.

He set it up and then he pressed play, choosing to go to the back and lean against the wall, hiding in the shadow. The holovid began. Shad only set it to play the last clip.

_Once again, he'd set a holocam to record as he climbed to the top of a metal structure that was eighty feet high. When he was ready, Zayne jumped and landed with a loud, hollow thud on the ground. Grimacing slightly, his body mended and he sighed into the holocam. _

"_My name's Zayne Carrick and that was my tenth attempt."_

"Zayne was really freaked out about what he could do. It was all he could really think about, and he always wondered if he could ever live normally. He kept trying to see what his limits were, what would really damage him. But he told me he never failed to heal. I think it made him sick inside, and disgusted with himself. I suppose, though, he finally reached his limit with…that killer," Shad shook his head.

"Although, we have the proof, I still say I'm going to be sick," and Carth hurried to the connected bathroom.

Started 10/11/08 –Completed 10/11/08


	8. Evolution

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic comics, or the Heroes storyline.  
Story: A new evolved species is coming. How can the Force hold up against those with abilities like reading minds, phasing through walls, or indestructibility? And not all of them are hesitant to use their powers. KOTOR Heroes.  
Set before Commencement. AU.  
Spoilers: Most definitely.  
Pairings: Zayne/Lucien  
Warnings: All sorts…

**Dead Men Walking  
**_Chapter Eight: Evolution_

_The same day Carth /Saul find Aurora and Arkoh, and Lucien starts to find answers…_

"We have the whole day to ourselves. That means everything you were supposed to learn last night you will start learning today. We'll do a little bit of seeing, and then start on our stealth lesson," Krynda explained to Zayne.

Zayne nodded, still feeling a bit guilty inside.

"Are you alright, Zayne?" Krynda asked, worried about the mental state of her student.

Zayne looked uncertain, but then revealed what was bothering him.

"I'm grateful to you for everything, Krynda. It's just that I feel guilty for deceiving everyone like this. And…will I have to stay gone? Stay dead forever?"

Krynda sighed, and took Zayne's hand. She led him to their sitting spot and then faced him.

"I understand what you're feeling now. But it will pass. Jedi have no attachments, Zayne. You mustn't feel attached to the others. You must remember the most important thing is the cause. Your old life is the past, something you must move on from," she said patiently.

Zayne winced, "I know. I just can't help it."

"You will learn in time, young one. Now meditate. We will start now."

* * *

"Who are they?" Zayne asked, staring at the people imprisoned in their cells.

"Criminals. Dangerous people who use their powers to harm others," Krynda explained, her eyes growing steely as she looked on at the prisoners gathered on the level five containment area.

Zayne shivered, seeing one of the people glare at him and throw a blast of fire at him. Fortunately, the clear panel separating them stopped the blast from reaching him.

"They're cruel people, Zayne. And they must be stopped," Krynda murmured.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Soon, I'll need you to catch others like these people. They need to be contained, here away from where they could hurt others."

Zayne nodded, still staring at the people in the cells. People like him…and yet not like him.

His eyes hardened.

Krynda glanced over and saw the slight change. Her mouth lifted up faintly.

"Follow me, Zayne. Our break is over. We will start on only meditation. You have worked hard enough physically and we shouldn't rush your seeing lessons. You must now work your mind."

* * *

"I don't get it," Alek concentrated, looking at the string of murders. "Why would they kill Zayne?"

"There's a copy of a list they found," Lucien said, handing him it as he continued scanning the report on the first murder of Brian Davis. The first murder was by blunt force before the sawed head. The following murders seemed like an invisible force killed them because they weren't touched at all. Jedi? It was plausible, but what Jedi would commit such crimes? And it didn't make sense for the first murder.

"Revan! We're on the list! And so is Adasca!" Alek flung the copied list away from him.

Revan picked it up and skimmed over it. "Zayne is too."

"Arkoh is here. We might be able to solve that if he were to meet us," Lucien informed them.

"Adasca is here?" Revan asked sharply, his head snapping up to meet Lucien's eyes.

"Yes, he's…staying in Zayne's old room."

"We need him here."

Lucien nodded, a bit confused, and hurried to grab the Arkaanian to drag him down. They were with the other two in minutes, Arkoh looking hassled.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"I met the future you," Revan said seriously.

"So did I," Arkoh blinked.

Revan glared and opened his mouth, but Arkoh interrupted him. "I'm being serious. I met him too. Told me to come here and save the Jedi –"

"Save the world," Alek finished cheerily.

"Will you stop that?" Revan said irritably. He turned back to Arkoh, "Your future self told me the same thing. I had to find a Jedi that had the power of indestructibility."

"Well, I ended up at a crime scene looking like the bad guy because I followed his advice. I teleported straight here and now I'm a Sylar suspect," Arkoh said disgruntled.

"Wait, hold on. What's going on?" Lucien stopped them from continuing.

The other three looked at each other before Revan began explaining about himself and Alek, and how future Arkoh had come to tell him what he had to do, and then Arkoh took over, telling his side.

"Okay. You can fly. You can basically absorb powers. And you told me already you can manipulate space and time," Lucien pointed at each one respectively.

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up," Alek grinned.

"And all of you are looking for someone who is indestructible," Lucien continued on.

All three nodded. Lucien took a deep breath.

"I have this theory that Zayne was able to fake his death, working with my mother, and he had some kind of ability to help him."

Arkoh groaned, "I can't believe that flew over my head. I should've thought of that when you told me you thought he was still alive."

"How are you sure he's alive?" Revan looked skeptical.

"Because I can still feel the Master-Padawan bond very strongly," Lucien scowled, showing just how frustrated he was over the whole thing.

"So Zayne really might be the one we're looking for," Alek said hopefully.

"Don't get your hopes up, Alek. But it is a possibility. We need to find out who Sylar is before he finds out Zayne might not be dead and come after him again," Revan sighed.

"Sylar is killing people and going to kill people who have something in common. And what do we all have in common? We have powers," Arkoh added on to the conversation.

"Which would make sense why he kept coming after Zayne," Alek said, focusing on trying to hover. He did, but it lasted less than a second and he crashed to the floor. The others stared at him.

"At least, there's proof of what you guys are saying," Lucien muttered, eying Alek on the floor.

"Look at that list again," Alek told Revan. "Wasn't there a list of powers connected to each person, along with their names and addresses? And you said that Zayne's name was on it. We'll have definite proof of Zayne then."

Revan looked again at the list and his eyes widened. "There you have it, people. Zayne Carrick, Taris Jedi Tower, Rapid Cell Regeneration. Class four evolved human."

"Unless Zayne really is dead, then we need to get to him fast," Arkoh told them all seriously.

"Because otherwise Sylar has Zayne's ability to be indestructible…or he will have it," Revan concluded.

Lucien felt a sense of hope, having definite evidence that Zayne might be alive. And that, at least, he wasn't over thinking the situation. That figure though…Sylar. He had this strange feeling it was like Haazen. But how could it be? The Draay family steward didn't seem the murderous type and was totally loyal to his mother.

Then again…what did they really know about him? His mother surely did, but even then he wasn't sure. His father knew Haazen better.

His father…

Lucien shot up, and began to run to where he knew his mother would be.

"Where are you going?" Revan shouted after him.

"I need to see my mother!"

* * *

"Mother, what do you know about Haazen?" Lucien interrupted Krynda in her office.

She turned to him, "Why would you want to know?"

"Because Haazen might be Sylar," he was starting to be sure of it now. "And Haazen might've killed father."

He could see her visibly stiffen. "I'd…always suspected. Haazen was always jealous of your father. The day your father died, Haazen said he'd seen a Sith sympathizer enter down a cave. He led your father and a group of Jedi down there, and then there was an explosion. Haazen was the only survivor, but he came out deformed and missing limbs. And yet, he had cybernetic implants that he had excused as being forcibly given to him by the Sith. He never explained how he survived the explosion or how he escaped the Sith."

Lucien clenched his hands into fists, starting to feel a burning hatred.

"Who is this Sylar, son? And why do you think Haazen has anything to do with him?"

"Sylar might be the one who killed Zayne. The first time Zayne was attacked, the figure that ran away seemed like Haazen. I didn't think much of it at first, but if Haazen really did kill father then he is likely to be the culprit. And he is also responsible for several murders of people who might have had special powers."

He could see his mother subtly tense, her mouth tightening at the corners. He knew there was something going on and that his mother was a part of it. She probably even knew where Zayne was.

"Well, we should investigate into this more. Don't worry about it, Lucien. I will assign another from the Covenant to this. Your Padawans will be evaluated sometime soon and then I will have your group do an assignment before you return to Taris."

"You mean _their_ Padawans," Lucien said bitterly. He turned his back to his mother and strode out, scowling the entire way back to where he had left the others.

"That guy back at the station. He's on here," Arkoh said as soon as Lucien came back, waving the list around in the air.

"Who?" Lucien asked him.

"Carth Onasi. The guy who gave you the papers."

"And how do you know that? We never got his name."

Arkoh huffed, "Because he just called. He said that he knew I was like him. He read my thoughts a little bit back at the station. Told me his name and I checked it on the list."

"Does he know?"

Revan shook his head, "We figured this was something that should be said face to face, so we didn't tell him over the line."

"Great! Now we can have another member for the 'Save the Jedi, Save the World' campaign!" Alek smirked.

"Perhaps I should not have said that exact phrase to you," Revan deadpanned.

Alek molded his face into one of innocence.

* * *

"That's one hell of a story," Carth whistled, looking faint. "And I don't fancy myself on the list to die."

"We know. But with your gift, we can stop Sylar from becoming even more powerful than he is now," Revan explained.

"I guess," Carth reluctantly agreed.

"Good. Now I need you to help me find out where my mother is keeping Zayne. He's the one we think has the power to be indestructible."

"If she has him hidden, isn't that a good thing?" Carth asked doubtfully.

"She faked his death and made it look like to the rest of us that Sylar killed him. She showed us a fake corpse and stopped us from getting a proper autopsy, and is probably lying to and manipulating Zayne right now. And there's no guarantee she can keep him from Sylar. I'm more comfortable making sure he's safe myself."

"It would be nice to get confirmation from someone who actually witnessed Zayne heal himself," Carth sighed.

"We have a lot of evidence pointing to it –" Revan was interrupted.

"Shad!" Lucien suddenly started.

"Who?" Alek asked confused.

"I'll be back," Lucien told them.

Lucien had headed over to Shad's room, feeling like he was closer to unraveling the truth the more information he was getting.

"Shad, I need you to answer something," he knocked frantically.

The blond Padawan opened the door, looking perplexed at his presence, but Lucien didn't have time to coddle him.

"Did you ever see Zayne heal himself?" Lucien asked quickly, and by the paling of Shad's face he was onto something.

"I can show you something, but it's… it _was_ in Zayne's room," Shad corrected himself.

"I'll meet you there. I have to bring some people with me."

Mere minutes passed, and Lucien brought the others to Zayne's old room, and Arkoh's current one. Shad was already there. Arkoh let them in and Shad immediately went to the bed. Reaching underneath it, he grabbed a familiar holocam.

"Not the most original hiding place, but Zayne wanted it close by," Shad said fondly, remorse coloring his words.

He set it up and then he pressed play, choosing to go to the back and lean against the wall, hiding in the shadow. The holovid began. Shad only set it to play the last clip.

_Once again, he'd set a holocam to record as he climbed to the top of a metal structure that was eighty feet high. When he was ready, Zayne jumped and landed with a loud, hollow thud on the ground. Grimacing slightly, his body mended and he sighed into the holocam. _

"_My name's Zayne Carrick and that was my tenth attempt."_

"Zayne was really freaked out about what he could do. It was all he could really think about, and he always wondered if he could ever live normally. He kept trying to see what his limits were, what would really damage him. But he told me he never failed to heal. I think it made him sick inside, and disgusted with himself. I suppose, though, he finally reached his limit with…that killer," Shad shook his head.

"Although, we have the proof, I still say I'm going to be sick," and Carth hurried to the connected bathroom.

Started 10/11/08 –Completed 10/11/08


	9. Cirque du Freak

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic comics, or the Heroes storyline.  
Story: A new evolved species is coming. How can the Force hold up against those with abilities like reading minds, phasing through walls, or indestructibility? And not all of them are hesitant to use their powers. KOTOR Heroes.  
Set before Commencement. AU.  
Spoilers: Most definitely.  
Pairings: Zayne/Lucien  
Warnings: All sorts…

**Dead Men Walking  
**_Chapter Nine: Cirque du Freak_

"Very good, Zayne! Now try to do it in sequence with the other moves," Krynda watched steadily, as Zayne did exactly as she asked.

When he finished, he turned his beaming face towards her. She nodded at him and gestured he come to sit next to her.

"I need you to do something for me."

"A mission?" Zayne asked eagerly.

"Yes. You and your father will be going out to contain a level five-approved evolved being with the power of magnetism. If he cannot be detained, kill him."

Zayne faltered. "You…you want me to kill him?"

"If necessary, Zayne. Remember, these people aren't like you and me. We can't risk it."

Zayne nodded, but straightened and looked determined. "Of course. I'll be ready."

Krynda let him go, knowing that soon, Zayne wouldn't hesitate any longer.

* * *

"Alright, son. He's reported in this area, which unfortunately has a lot of people," Arvan warned his son.

Zayne quietly nodded.

They spotted their man, who caught sight of them. He turned and ran through the crowd, and the two of them gave chase. Soon, they were led to an abandoned metal factory.

"Damn. Zayne, be careful. We're in a hot zone. As far as we're concerned, we're in his territory now," Arvan growled, narrowing his eyes.

"What are we going to do?" Zayne whispered.

"I don't want to really ask this of you, but I'm going to need you to confront him. I'll sneak up behind and shoot him."

"You know, I think Gadon would've been better here than me," Zayne told him.

"I think he would've better replaced me," Arvan softly admitted. "It's always been one of my kind and one of yours. If Gadon was here instead of me, he could've used his power to stop our target from using his, and then you could've subdued him."

"But you've got experience on me," Zayne said uncomfortably, flushed red.

"Anyone can outsmart experience, remember that," Arvan took a brief moment to flick his son's forehead and then they focused back on their target.

Signaling to Zayne, Arvan started sneaking behind their prey while Zayne confronted him head on.

"Hey there," Zayne said coolly, not at all like how he was really feeling inside.

"You little shit. Where's your boss man? Tell him, I ain't going with you to anywhere," the guy snarled.

Zayne smirked, "We split a long time ago. I'm here alone and I _will_ bring you with me."

The target let out another snarl. Just then his father shot at their target, who held out a hand, stopping the bullet and then redirected it quickly to Zayne, where it impacted into his chest. Zayne fell to the ground and Arvan angrily aimed the gun again.

The target was faster, leaving Zayne for dead and coming after his father. The gun was knocked out of Arvan's hands and their target hefted Arvan into the air, choking him.

Zayne lightly gasped, fingers clumsily looking for the bullet hole in his chest. Unable to grab it with his fingers, he used the Force to pull it out, the bullet hole healing right after. Redirecting it like the target had, he flung it at their target and it lodged into his head.

Both his father and the target dropped to the ground, but Arvan scrambled to his feet and raced over to Zayne's side.

"Are you okay?" his father asked him in a panic.

Arvan helped Zayne sit up unsteadily. "I'm fine, Dad. See? I'm already healed. No harm done."

Reluctantly, Arvan accepted that answer. Zayen looked over to their target and froze. He looked at the dead man sorrowfully.

"I didn't want to kill him," Zayne murmured.

Arvan sighed, "Sometimes, Zayne, it can't be helped. This could've gotten a lot worse, especially considering all the metal around us he could've used to attack us with."

"I guess I understand," his son said, still staring at the corpse forlornly.

Arvan sighed again and had Zayne help him get the body out of there, so that it could be transported back to Company headquarters.

* * *

"Very good, Zayne. That was done quickly. That said, I can use you for another mission. Our target this time is a girl, Daphne Millbrook. She's an evolved human with the power of enhanced speed. I want you to meet with her and convince her to join the Company," Krynda said once they finished their report and Arvan had left to place the body in a safer place than out in the open.

"Where am I going to meet her?" Zayne asked, feeling a bit better about the new mission than the last one.

"She should be staying in the Works," Krynda informed him.

"The Works? Isn't that an industrial place?"

"It was. It is rapidly declining and crooks are taking to commonly staying there now."

"She's a crook?" Zayne asked in shock.

"A thief really. It's more mercenary work. She uses her speed to steal artifacts for buyers and they pay her for retrieving it. I feel her talents can be better utilized for the Company."

"Okay. I'll head over there now."

Every once and a while, Zayne would glance nervously at the photo he was given of Daphne, wondering how he was going to convince her of anything. She didn't look like much, but then neither did he. Looks were deceiving and he needed to keep that in mind.

Finding her residence, Zayne picked the lock with the Force, a thing he taught himself to do and knew wasn't really a good thing in normal circumstances, and entered cautiously. There was no one there.

With a whoosh of air, suddenly the girl he was looking for was standing right in front of him.

"Who the hell are you and why are you in my apartment?" she glared.

Cool. Calm. Steady there…

"My name's Zayne," he smiled shyly. That didn't come out how it was supposed to. And he wasn't supposed to introduce himself just yet.

She looked at him dubiously, though her lips tilted up a little.

"Alright. I'm Daphne. Now answer my other question."

"Um. I'm here to represent the Company," Zayne pulled himself together. "The Company is an organization that tries to help evolved people like us, and subdue the ones that harm people."

Here, Daphne looked interested. "Like us? You mean you're like me?"

Zayne saw his chance. "Do you have a garbage disposal?"

"In the kit," she said, confused.

"Lead me there," was all he said by way of explanation.

She did and then Zayne turned on the disposal. Taking a deep breath, he plunged his hand in and they both could hear the disposal whirring and the sickening sounds of something tearing. Taking out his hand, they could see the flesh knitting itself back together.

"_Gross_, but _cool_," she said wide-eyed.

Zayne shrugged embarrassed. "So you're in?"

"Okay. Just because you're a cutie pie," she smirked at him.

He turned an interesting shade of red.

* * *

"You're sure I should be in here?" Zayne asked Krynda, sitting tensely at her desk in her office.

She nodded, writing on a piece of paper. "Yes, no one interrupts me in here except for Haazen and Lucien. I haven't seen Haazen in ages and your old Master is doing something at the Jedi Temple."

Zayne relaxed a little, so she continued. "Congratulations on both of your successful missions."

"Thanks, Krynda. Um, can I ask a question?"

"Of course."

"Who…who are the founders of the Company?"

Krynda stopped writing, slowly looking up. She examined him and then she put down her writing instrument.

"Myself and my husband Barrison Draay are Founders. Master Vandar Tokare is a Founder, as well as having the power to heal others. Alok Adasca is also a Founder. Master Vrook Lamar is a Founder with the power of alchemy. Garl Hierogryph, Reagan Onasi, Craddock Karath, Susan Amman, Charles Deveaux, Harry Fletcher, and Paula Gramble make up the rest of the group. The last four are dead."

"Oh…wait. Hierogryph? I know a Snivvian named Marn Hierogryph," Zayne gaped.

"Close your mouth, dear," Krynda said amusedly. "His son, I believe so."

"Just…totally weird," he muttered.

Krynda laughed lightly. "I have another thing for you to do, dear. I need you to capture this man and bring him here. It is important we see how far along his powers are."

Zayne reached for the folder Krynda handed him, along with the paper she had been writing on.

"Carth Onasi…power of telepathy. Hey, Krynda. Is he related to Reagan?"

Krynda smiled sardonically, "That, he is. His father, though a Company Founder, was very dangerous. We had to put him into the level five containment area. Unfortunately, he escaped. We finally have a system in place to locate him though."

"Oh, that's good. I'll watch this guy first before I make my move. I hope I can get him to you by tonight."

"I'll be looking forward to another accomplishment."

* * *

Zayne blinked several times in surprise before he stopped and realized his eyes weren't deceiving him. The group of five he was following consisted of the infamous Arkoh Adasca, a hooded man that everyone knew was the Revanchist from the media, his Master Lucien, a man he recognized as Squint from Taris, and his target Carth Onasi.

There was no way he was going to chance it now. He had to wait for his chance and carefully observe Onasi before taking action. Master Lucien would definitely recognize him as well.

His chance came when they escorted Carth back to his temporary home, apparently on guard and unwilling to leave one of their group unsafe. Zayne was just hoping they wouldn't keep that up to staying in Onasi's home as well.

When they finally left, Zayne snuck in, using the mental shields Lucien had taught him to shield his presence.

"Knock, knock," Zayne said softly, tapping twice on the door frame of the kitchen, where Carth was busy heating his food.

Carth whirled around, but unfortunately Zayne swung his linked fists to the side of his temple, the force of the blow knocking the telepath unconscious. Sighing, Zayne shook his head.

"Sorry, man. But it's an evolutionary imperative."

He tried to shake off the feeling of getting that phrase from somewhere, but also to try to not think of how he was making it an excuse for himself and his actions.

He carted his catch back to the Draay Estate, taking the secret entrance that would lead straight to the Company. He found Krynda in their usual meeting spot, and she welcomed him in. However, just as he was entering with Carth's unconscious body, he heard Lucien come striding closer. Eyes widening, Zayne darted his eyes to the door in warning and then quickly darted behind a shadowed corner, behind a statue. He clutched Carth closer to his body, and he watched the proceedings closely.

"Mother, did you know anything about Zayne's…ability?" Lucien asked bluntly.

Zayne stiffened, and he could see Krynda actually look slightly surprised. He could guess it was because Lucien had been so straightforward, but his Master wouldn't know that. Lucien probably thought his mother was surprised he'd found out.

"Oh, you mean his special relationship with the Force?" Krynda asked in response.

Lucien looked confused, hesitantly asking, "Special relationship with the Force?"

"I thought you knew, considering you're always saying that Zayne has a special relationship with the Force to explain away your own pitiable teachings to the boy."

His Master was silent for a moment and from Zayne's angle, he could surprisingly easily see the remorse and shame in Lucien's eyes.

"Don't…don't do that. Reprimand me on something I know I was wrong for," Lucien forced out.

Krynda sighed, "If you must know, his special relationship was sudden reversals of fortune. It was the Force's own little claim on him, the Force's protection in place."

"He's alive. I know he is," Lucien quietly said forcefully.

Krynda smiled mockingly at her son, though Zayne couldn't see her so much as her back. "Zayne Carrick is gone, Lucien. You must accept that."

"I won't accept that," Lucien bit out harshly. "I won't."

Lucien turned sharply and walked away, refusing to glance back at his mother.

It was odd seeing his Master so worked up over him. In a way, Zayne couldn't help but feel it was a little too late in coming.

* * *

They had Carth tied down and were busy running tests, the telepath strapped down and wires all over. Zayne helped Krynda, quietly assembling everything.

"I didn't know I had a special relationship with the Force. Were you lying to Lucien to get him off our backs?" Zayne delicately asked.

Krynda applied pressure to Carth's skull before plunging a needle into that spot. Zayne tried to wince, but he was suddenly too tired to really feel anything at that moment.

"No, I was telling the truth. But it's not as important as your regenerative power."

Zayne stuck an I.V. into Carth's arm to keep the man hydrated for however long he was going to be there.

"He knows about your power, Zayne. I don't know how, but he at least suspects. We cannot slip or give ourselves away. We have to be more cautious now. We cannot afford any mistakes."

"How did he find out?" Zayne asked her cautiously.

"Who knows what my son has been up to these days? He's been stubbornly trying to pry into your death."

Zayne remembered the group Lucien was with earlier, but for some reason kept quiet.

"I think it best that I assign you a permanent partner now, Zayne. I think one of my Shadow agents from the Covenant will do. She's experienced and a lightning user."

"Wouldn't you be breaking the 'One of us, One of them' rule?'" he asked.

Krynda smirked, "Arvan told you about that, did he? Don't worry about it. Rules need to be broken every now and then."

When Zayne left to meet his new partner, he began going over everything in his mind. He was so lost in thought that he almost missed the woman casually standing against the banister of the closest balcony in the hallway. He stopped, staring at her. He couldn't help but flinch at the lightning that pulsed around her every few seconds.

"I'm Celeste Morne. Your new partner."

Started 10/12.08 –Completed 10/13/08

Who's Who:

Daphne Millbrook: Same: Enhanced Speed  
Barrison Draay: Arthur Petrelli: ?/Company Founder  
Vandar Tokare: Daniel Linderman: Healing/Company Founder  
Alok Adasca: Kaito Nakamura: Company Founder  
Vrook Lamar: Robert Bishop: Alchemy/Company Founder  
Garl Hierogryph: Carlos Mendez: Company Founder  
Reagan Onasi: Maury Parkman: Telepathy/Company Founder  
Craddock Karath: Victoria Pratt: Biological Engineer/Company Founder  
Susan Amman: Same: Company Founder  
Charles Deveaux: Same: Company Founder  
Harry Fletcher: Same: ?/Company Founder  
Paula Gramble: Same: ?/Company Founder  
Celeste Morne: Elle Bishop: Lightning


End file.
